Chalfont St Peter Garden Club Newsletter - October 2006
Chairman: Charles Flawn
Secretary: Linda Hills-Harrop
Garden Hut Manager: Cliff Thayer
Treasurer : Robert Bastin Dear Member, at last the rains
have come and got our gardens going again. If you are
planning to make any changes then I suggest you make then
soon, just in case we do not get as much rain as we need
this winter.
Meetings: This month’s meeting will be at 8pm on
Wednesday 18th in the Church Hall when we shall have a talk
about dahlias by the High Wycombe Dahlia Society.
The Garden Hut will be open on Sundays from 10.00 am
to 12 noon. Very important, you must show your Membership
card. Following our Newsletter enquiry regarding Growbags we
have had a limited critical response; a new supplier will be
sort for 2007. We had to change this year because of
delivery problems. Be assured that a higher quality will be
stocked next year. Lawn care products are on Special Offer
for a limited period, please take advantage while they are
available. We have NEW Provado pest killer in stock at£12.75
(RRP £17.40). Lawn Seed Plus and Johnson’s Seed & Fertiliser
packs are in the Hut. Do take advantages of these Offer
prices as they will cease without warning. Cliff.
Jane’s Garden Tips
Divide poor flowering or overcrowded herbaceous perennials,
asters, phlox and campanulas. There is also time to take
cuttings from these plants from low down non-flowering side
shoots try fuchsias and marguerites. Once Japanese anemones
have finished flowering split large clumps and take root
cuttings, lay several pieces of root on the surface of
gritty compost spacing them evenly, cover with layer of grit
water and leave in cold frame, there are often new shoots
emerging at intervals along the roots these can also be
potted up. Also collect seeds from ripe seed heads and store
in labelled envelopes in a dry cool place. Clear out summer
bedding and put on the compost. Plant out new hardy
perennials while the soil is still warm, plant out
wallflowers and spring bedding giving it a good watering to
help it establish. Dahlias and cannas can be cut down after
the first frosts, in this area it’s usually fine to leave
them in the ground to over winter but cover with a good
layer of mulch and label the area. Sow sweet peas in pots
and protect plants in cold frame over winter, also sow hardy
annuals for early flowers next summer. As leaves fall rake
up and gradually add to compost throughout the winter, add
small amounts at a time where they will rot quickly to make
valuable organic matter to add to the soil. Protect your
compost heap from excess rain by covering it with plastic or
old carpet; this retains heat to promote thorough rotting.
Don’t leave soil bare in the kitchen garden during the
winter, plant a green manure of winter tare, grazing rye or
field beans which will germinate quickly, and then can be
cut down and dug in the early the early spring, or cover
plot with old carpet or black plastic. Sow broad beans and
hardy peas for early crops next year. Continue checking
stored fruit and vegetables.
KEITH’S COACH OUTINGS – It’s the end of another year
of `days out`, and I would like to thank all those who have
supported me in these endeavours. I do hope you enjoyed the
outings, and are able to come again next year, when I hope
to have six more venues for your pleasure. Please fill in my
selection forms, available at the hut and at meetings, in
order for you to have a say on which ones you prefer. Please
return the forms to the Garden Hut - by 26th November
I have decided to try my hand at a small holiday. How does
“THE EDEN PRODJECT” grab you?? . Please let me know your
thoughts on this soon. The earliest date would be September
2007, otherwise not till 2008! The cost is likely to be
about £180.00 and I hope to have “Cliff’s” Coach’s for this
3-night event! Thank you again for all your support this
year. - KEITH at the Hut on Sundays
Church yards are havens for wild flower survival.
They have been spared pesticides and insecticides, and have
been called ’islands of hope’ for plant conservation. If you
would like advice on maintaining churchyards, a charity,
Caring for God’s acre, held a conference in May with exactly
that aim in mind. See
www.caringforgodsacre.co.uk for ideas, info sheets and
an action pack.
Green Compost Bins
These have been issued free by the Council on the Isle of
Lewis in the Outer Hebrides; the climate does not make for
much green waste so the locals are planning to use the bins
for storing peat, sheep feed and coal. With a sliding door
at the bottom they might make good hen houses. Please will
the next person to visit report back on what they find!
Buyer Beware. Through the medium of this Newsletter the
club is bringing to your attention, opportunities that may
interest you, however, you must satisfy yourself that they
meet your requirements as Chalfont St. Peter Garden Club
will accept no legal, moral or financial responsibility. |
